Sonic Trace

This timeline starts with the Bracero Program, which ran from 1942 to 1964. Under the program, more than 4.5 million Mexican workers came to the United States to farm, taking hard jobs at low wages.But these weren’t the first workers to come to the U.S. Until the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 , nearly 200,0000 Chinese nationals worked the field. But immigration history starts …

Each week, we put you on the map with immigration and transnational culture stories you might have missed throughout the week. And if you’ve come across any articles worth mentioning, write to us sonic.trace@kcrw.org or tweet us @SonicTrace_KCRW.
Secure Communities program up for review
The program that sends immigrants, who are booked for local crimes, to immigration officials is being looked into by Homeland Security Secretary Jeh …

Each week, we put you on the map with immigration and transnational culture stories you might have missed throughout the week. And if you’ve come across any articles worth mentioning, write to us sonic.trace@kcrw.org or tweet us @SonicTrace_KCRW.
DHS rejects design of California driver’s license for immigrants
Department of Homeland Security officials wrote a letter to California’s Department of Motor Vehicles stating the proposed driver’s licenses for …

Each week, we put you on the map with immigration and transnational culture stories you might have missed throughout the week. And if you’ve come across any articles worth mentioning, write to us sonic.trace@kcrw.org or tweet us @SonicTrace_KCRW.
May Day comes to Los Angeles
Thousands of immigration reform supporters took to the streets of Los Angeles for the annual May Day March. This year’s event was geared …

President Barack Obama is weighing in on the controversy over racially charged comments made by Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling. Sterling is facing a torrent of criticism – including a protest by the Clippers players before yesterday’s game with the Golden State Warriors. Obama said the remarks attributed to Sterling show the United States continues to wrestle with the legacy of race and …

Each week, we put you on the map with immigration and transnational culture stories you might have missed throughout the week. And if you’ve come across any articles worth mentioning, write to us sonic.trace@kcrw.org or tweet us @SonicTrace_KCRW.
President Obama may step in, if Congress doesn’t
While immigration reform legislation isn’t going anywhere, President Obama’s administration may unveil new policy changes to provide relief to some undocumented …

Each week, we put you on the map with immigration and transnational culture stories you might have missed throughout the week. And if you’ve come across any articles worth mentioning, write to us sonic.trace@kcrw.org or tweet us @SonicTrace_KCRW.
Republicans are moderate about immigration policy
GOP voters may not be as conservative as you think — when it comes to immigration.
About 37 percent of Republicans support a pathway …

Each week, we put you on the map with immigration and transnational culture stories you might have missed throughout the week. And if you’ve come across any articles worth mentioning, write to us sonic.trace@kcrw.org or tweet us @SonicTrace_KCRW.
Dreamer passes credible fear interview, closer to staying in U.S.
On Monday, Jaren Rodriguez Orellana, who participated in the Bring Them Home 3 border action and is a Honduran …

Understanding U.S. immigration laws can be tricky. And with the possibility of immigration reform and a path to citizenship on the horizon, many fear that there is more opportunity for immigration fraud. Saul Gonzalez reports on one case of fraud here.
We spoke to Daniel Sharp, legal director at CARECEN (Central American Resource Center) Los Angeles, to iron out some questions about fraud, immigration processes and …

Los Angeles is a metropolis of immigrants, but many of these newcomers are living in this country illegally. That’s what makes L.A. the unofficial capital of immigration fraud, where con artists play on people’s desperation to get residency papers so they can live in this country legally without fear of deportation.
Immigrant advocates such as those at L.A.’s Central American Refugee Center, or CARECEN, meet …

All over the country, and here in Southern California, there are many high income areas that thrive and depend on low-income jobs. These jobs are often filled by immigrants: nannies, landscapers, kitchen staff, housekeepers and janitors. Thousand Oaks in Ventura County is one of these places, but because of the city’s strict zoning laws, many of the low-income people who work in Thousand Oaks …

This post comes to us from KCRW’s Sonic Trace.
1- Who are they?
There’s a total of nine youths who — with the support of the National Immigrant Youth Alliance — presented themselves at the Nogales-Sonora border. Most Dreamers haven’t been to their place of birth.
Dreamers are young undocumented immigrants who were brought into the U.S by their parents. The term “Dream” comes after a piece …

Congress is still shutdown. But that hasn’t stopped thousands of immigrants from gathering in Washington this month to protest the lack of comprehensive immigration reform.
This week, Sonic Trace partnered with To The Point to explore the story of one young activist, Lizbeth Mateo. For almost a decade Lizbeth has performed acts of civil disobedience across the country. But this summer, she took it to a new …

Lizbeth Mateo is a 29-year-old Mexican citizen who was raised in Los Angeles. She is a college graduate and considers the United States her home – even though she doesn’t have papers and isn’t legally supposed to be in the U.S. It’s not an easy situation, but one which a young group of activists are trying to change. They call themselves “Dreamers” and have …

This week a granite memorial that marked the victims of a plane crash in the Central Valley was unveiled to honor the people who died.
65 years ago, a group of Mexican farm workers – who were laboring here in California – were being transported in an airplane to a deportation center. Immigration officials say they’d overstayed their work authorizations.
But the plane crashed near Los …

L.A. is a profoundly Latin American city, with countless historical and cultural ties to the Spanish-speaking world. Those ties include a common language. Spanish is spoken by over 40 percent of L.A. residents, making it the second-most spoken language in L.A. after English.
Remember, even saying the words “Los Angeles” (or if you want to get fancy and historical about it, El Pueblo de Nuestra …

KCRW’s Sonic Trace is a story-telling project that begins in the heart of Los Angeles and crosses into Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. The project gathers stories from immigrants across Los Angeles in a portable soundbooth, La Burbuja (The Bubble) to create an oral history mosaic of Los Angeles.
Some of these are collected below. The stories range from the challenges of adapting to a new …

Today is the day of the Virgin of Guadalupe. Across Mexico – and the world – devotees flock to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the heart Mexico City to celebrate and pay tribute to the patron saint that Catholics call the Queen of Mexico and the Empress of the Americas.
Los Angeles is the second city with the largest of population of …

Los Angeles is home to one of the most diverse populations in the world. The largest number of people in the city is of Latino origin. But there are many ethnic groups within Latin-American culture. Like the enclave of Zapotec villagers from Southern Mexico who have migrated to LA’s Koreatown. KCRW’s Sonic Trace series has been focusing on Zapotecs who come from the tiny village …

Los Angeles is home to one of the most diverse populations in the world. The largest number of people in the city is of Latino origin. But there are a lot of different ethnic groups within Latin-American culture. Like the enclave of Zapotec villagers from Southern Mexico who have migrated to LA’s Koreatown. We’ve been focusing on migrants, who come from the tiny village of Santa Maria Tavehua.
This is Nico’s …